WOMEN AS FARMERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 3, 24 July 1946, Page 6

WOMEN AS FARMERS

OPINION OF REHABILITATION DECISION REACHED The advisability of otherwise of allowing single ex-servicewomen to avail themselves of farm training under the rehabilitation scheme was debated at the last meeting of the Rehabilitation Board. Members gave as their opinion that only in exceptional cases was farming a suitable full-time career for women, while at present with the large numbers of men waiting settlement it would certainly be unwise to assist a woman to acquire a farm of her own. It was decided that applications from ex-servicewomen for farm settlement could not be considered at the present stage. As regards the provision of subsidised farm training, the decision was to consider applications only in exceptional circumstances, such as where an applicant already had land, or where her parents had land and needed her assistance in its management. “Once we offer farm training to single girls, the implication is that we are going to settle them,” said Mr S. W. Gaspar. “We are not at this stage prepared to settle women on the land,” stated the Director of Rehabilitation, Mr F. Baker.

Regarding the general suitability of women for farm work, the Minister of Rehabilitation, the Hon. C. F. Skinner, remarked that it depended largely on the individual. “Two of the biggest suppliers to the Kaikohe Dairy Factory are women,” comented Mr H. H. Rankin. Mr E. L. Cullen, M.P.: I am firmly of the opinion that we should not settle women unless they already own a property. I am certainly against settling a woman on, say, a 400 acre farm with 80 cows.

Mr A. D. Park: The first job is to settle the men.

“If we cannot settle women applicants on the land, it is unfair to ‘lead them up the garden path’ by offering them training,” said Mr Gaspar. “And we can hardly put girls on farms when we have thousands of men awaiting settlement. In a case where a girl is housekeeping for her father, then we might be prepared to give her a course in farm management, should she want it.” Mr Skinner: There is another aspect. If we train a man to be a farmer, we do not consider him fully trained until he can do' everything there is to do on a farm. But if we train a girl to manage a farm, then will we expect her to be able to plough and do the other manual farm tasks?

After further discussion it was decided to limit assistance as above.